Failure to comply with the Digital Markets Act can result in multi-million dollar fines for these companies
The The European Consumer Organisation has published a report in which accuses big tech companies of violating the EU Digital Markets Act. These companies include Apple, Google, Amazon, Meta, ByteDance and MicrosoftThis organisation defends consumer rights and provides recommendations to European legislators.
Apple has already been called out for failing to comply with the so-called DMA, which has forced the company to make some adjustments to its policies. This law is what has allowed the opening of alternative app stores on the iPhone and the availability of NFC for third parties, among other changes.
Why Apple is not complying with the Digital Markets Act
As for Apple, The European Consumer Organisation has pointed out several reasons why it believes the company is not complying with the DMAalthough some issues have already been addressed recently. Here are the highlights:
- Apple introduces unnecessary steps to discourage users from switching to alternative app stores or downloading apps outside the App Store.
- Apple does not make it easy for consumers to change their default settings.
- Apple’s browser selection screen does not provide enough information, making it difficult for consumers to make decisions, and is “confusing, complex and creates negative friction.”
- Apple employs biased language to discourage users from opting for alternative payment services or subscribing to cheaper options outside of an app. This refers to the warnings it displays when consumers choose alternative payment methods.
- Apple doesn’t allow users to easily uninstall first-party apps, and while Safari will be available for removal by the end of 2024, this option should have been available since March.
- Apple has failed to submit appropriate compliance reports to the European Commission and has delayed implementing some of the DMA measures, constituting a “flagrant violation” of the regulations.
Apple has committed to making significant changes
Apple has promised to make major changes to iOS in the coming months, which makes some of the report’s criticisms obsolete:
- It will be possible to set as default applications for calls, messaging, password managers, keyboards, navigation, translation and call spam filters.
- A new default apps section has been added to Settings, addressing one of the complaints from the report about confusion when managing default browsers.
- Safari, App Store, Messages, Camera and Photos apps can be removed.
- The browser selection screen will include a description of the browser, the option to set it as the default, and a requirement to scroll to the bottom before making a choice.
- Selecting a default browser other than Safari will replace the Safari icon on the Home screen or in the Dock.
These significant changes in iOS will allow for greater flexibility and variety of applications on the iPhone, and will be available in the coming months.